Skyler Lee, a sixth grader at Kelso-Longview (Wash.) Adventist School, is being honored as one of the top two youth volunteers in the state of Washington. She is a 2012 winner of the Spirit of Community Award given in collaboration between Prudential Financial and the National Assembly of Secondary School Principals. Skyler, 12, lives in Longview.
During the past five years, Skyler has collected 2,050 coats for the local Salvation Army, which helps low-income families in her community. "When I was 7 years old, I was watching Good Morning America and learned that some children in our country had never had a warm coat to wear in the winter," Lee explains. "I told my mom that we should do something."
She decided to organize a yearly coat drive by placing collection boxes at several businesses and contacting the newspaper to help spread the word. She also sells lemonade each summer to earn money to buy more coats. The Salvation Army distributes the coats to children and parents at Christmas. "There are many people who need some kind of help," she says.
Skyler and the other winners will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in May for several days of recognition events.
Skylar Lee, a sixth grader from Kelso-Longview (Wash.) Adventist School, has been honored as one of the top two youth volunteers in the state.
